The government’s healthy eating agency Voedingscentrum is launching a campaign to limit meat consumption specifically aimed at men.

Posters proclaiming ‘Er is meer dan vlees’ (There is more than meat alone) will appear on every railway station in the country and the campaign will feature on social media as well.

Men in particular could cut down on eating meat by at least 400 grammes a week, according to Corné van Dooren, sustainable food expert at the Voedingscentrum. Women, who are already opting for vegetarian meals more often, could eat 100 grammes less. The recommended maximum is 500 grammes a week.

‘Research shows that half of all people are trying to eat less meat. That is something to build on,’ Van Dooren said.

By using t-shirts sporting slogans such as ‘Never bean so happy’ and ‘it’s peanuts’ the Voedingscentrum hopess to make men more aware of the advantages of replacing meat with vegetables and nuts.

‘Less meat means less chance of cancer and diabetes. And eating as little as 100 grammes less meat reduces the impact on the environment by 7 to 10 percent, Van Dooren said.